Exhibition of Zinaida Serebryakova in Belgorod

On 18 December 2014, a memorial evening was held at the Belgorod Art Museum in memory of the famous Russian artist Zinaida Serebryakova, which preceded the opening of a small personal exhibition.

"In the corner — brushes, paints, a palette and a vase with dried wheat stalks, next to them an easel and the artist’s self-portrait — the hall is ready to ‘meet’ with the artist." The event, part of the series "Memorial Evenings of Famous Artists," was timed to the 130th anniversary of Zinaida Serebryakova’s birth.

The talented Russian artist, a master of painting and graphics, lived a difficult but interesting life, leaving behind a significant cultural legacy.

Her works have enriched the golden fund of Russian art.

Zinaida Serebryakova was one of the first women to enter the history of painting.

An exponent of Orientalism and Impressionism, she painted as she saw and felt with her heart.

Sometimes, to capture the moment, she had no more than 15 minutes, but later those brief sketches became vivid, beautiful canvases.

The artist painted in layers, carefully elaborating each line.

Looking at her paintings, the viewer sees not simple Russian peasant women exhausted by hard work, but tender women who are loving mothers and gentle daughters.

The depicted ballerinas are majestic and graceful, yet at the same time sincere and tender towards the viewer.

A large period in the artist’s biography is associated with the Belgorod region, for she was born in the village of Neskuchnoe in the then Murom volost of Belgorod district.

Realizing the value of Serebryakova’s canvases, the museum’s scientific council began acquiring works connected to the Belgorod phase of her career.

("In 1985 I met Tatyana Serebryakova — Zinaida’s daughter..." says art historian Maxim Baranov.

"The first graphic works were acquired in 1986, then after Serebryakova’s exhibition at the CDX in early 1987, new acquisitions appeared in the Belgorod collection — studies and sketches related to the preparation of the famous painting 'Bleaching Canvas'.") Today, the exhibition presents seven graphic works.

The most striking among them is one of the artist’s self-portraits.

Despite the small format, the exhibition offers a full impression of an encounter with the artist.

The exhibition will run until 30 December.